


Blood

by tasteofshapes



Series: Bleach drabbles [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Hollows (Bleach), Kurosaki Ichigo Being Kurosaki Ichigo, Post-Soul Society Arc, Protective Kurosaki Ichigo, There's A Tag For That, battling hollows, hurt kuchiki rukia, i'm lol'ing, post-battle feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23510293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasteofshapes/pseuds/tasteofshapes
Summary: There’s a brief, intense spike in Ichigo's reiatsu when he sees Rukia wipe away blood in one quick motion; power crackling dangerously at his fingertips.
Relationships: Kuchiki Rukia/Kurosaki Ichigo
Series: Bleach drabbles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691629
Comments: 2
Kudos: 61





	Blood

**Author's Note:**

> There’s no time like the present to start going through all the prompts languishing in my inbox and actually get down to finishing them! Anon prompted: Z, blood, from the [prompt game here](https://tasteofshapes.tumblr.com/post/189915347145/send-me-characters-and-a-letter-and-ill-write). Sorry this took so long, anon, but I hope you enjoy!

Ichigo gets the alert too late. 

He’s dead asleep, his limbs flung across his bed in a lazy sprawl that all teenage boys seem to have mastered, and it’s only because his badge won’t stop its incessant, high-pitched beeping that it finally penetrates his dreams and wakes him up. He blinks sleep out of his eyes, his every moment sleep-dulled and heavy, and only wakes up properly once he sees the skull’s eyes flashing red in the darkness of his room.

He's out the window in a flash. Now that he’s awake, he can sense the occasional spike of familiar reiatsu. It comes and goes, like flares in the night sky, urgent, and overwhelming. It’s Rukia’s. 

He puts on a burst of flash-step, the neighbourhood blurring beneath him, and arrives to find Rukia fighting off ten Hollows at once, her blade flashing under the moonlight as she slashes and leaps, and slashes again. She moves like quicksilver under the street light, all grace and speed, but the Hollows outnumber her and she still hasn’t gotten her powers back yet. The left sleeve of her uniform is in shreds, and there’s a cut on her cheek. 

There’s a brief, intense spike in his reiatsu when he sees her wipe away blood in one quick motion; power crackling dangerously at his fingertips. As one, the Hollows turn their attention away from her, their dead gazes refocusing on him. 

“Pick on someone your own size, uglies,” he calls out, and then they charge him. He falls into step easily beside her as a Hollow that flies overhead, says with a calmness that he doesn’t feel, “is this a party for one, or can anyone join?” For some reason, the blood is pounding in his ears, and he strikes at the Hollow with more force than strictly necessary.

The Hollow roars in pain and frustration as it lands heavily, the impact sending reverberations up and down the street. Over the commotion, Rukia says, “Nice of you to finally wake up, Ichigo. You certainly took your time about it, didn’t you?”

“I’ve told you before,” Ichigo grunts as he drives his sword straight into a Hollow’s skull, yanking it free as the Hollow lets out a scream and begins to dissipate, “I can’t help being a heavy sleeper. And you, you need to stop going off on midnight missions on your own.” 

Rukia scoffs, turning right there and then whilst _in the middle of a battle_ to roll her eyes at him and say, “Oh _sorry_ , didn’t realise I had to seek your permission before I perform my duties. I’ll be sure to do so before I attend to the next emergency that comes through.” 

She sends a Hollow flying towards Ichigo with a kick, which he dispatches with ease, his blade gleaming under the street lamp as he cuts through the Hollow vengefully. They go through the rest fairly quickly, and the echo of the last Hollow’s roar lingers in the air for a second before it crumbles away like dust; spirit particles floating away on the breeze. The aftermath of the battle reveals relatively minor damage: a dented street lamp, its light flickering; and a large crack across the road. 

Ichigo’s left looking at Rukia across an empty, silent street. This is barely a workout, but his heart still hammers in his chest all the same as he strides over to where she’s busily cleaning her blade. Rukia looks up at him, her eyes bright under the warm glow of the street lamp. The cut on her cheek is still weeping blood. 

“Idiot,” Ichigo says, softly, swiping his thumb gently across her cheek, wiping away a thin line of blood. “You shouldn’t be over-exerting yourself when your powers aren’t back yet. That’s what I’m here for, you know. You don’t have to do this alone.”

“I know that,” she says, hesitant, because him touching her isn’t new. What _is_ new is the tenderness with which he does it, his hand lingering on her face. Her pulse is skittish under his fingers, beats frantically against where they’re curled on the side of her neck. 

“Okay,” Ichigo says, still looking at her, still touching her. Her eyes widen when his voice comes out uneven. “As long as you do know.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [here on tumblr](https://tasteofshapes.tumblr.com) if you want to come scream at me about this, and [the tumblr link is here](https://tasteofshapes.tumblr.com/post/614642252082561024/ichiruki-z-blood) if you want to reblog this!


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